The present invention relates to a slide connector, and particularly to a slide connector that is to be connected to a wearable device.
In recent years, so-called wearable devices, in which terminal devices such as various sensors and communication devices operate as being worn by a user, have attracted attention. Such a wearable device is electrically connected to a device like a measuring device or a power source to be used to transmit detected information or to receive power supply. While the electrical connection can be established via a connector attached to a garment, the connection via a connector has to be disconnected, for example, when the wearable device is removed and when the garment is washed.
Accordingly, as disclosed in JP 2015-135723 A, a snap button connector has been used to establish connection between devices.
As illustrated in FIG. 31, a snap button connector disclosed in JP 2015-135723 A includes a male snap button 2 attached to a first cloth 1 and a female snap button 4 attached to a second cloth 3. The first cloth 1 and the second cloth 3 are made from conductive cloth, while the male snap button 2 and the female snap button 4 are formed of a conductive material. As a convex portion 5 of the male snap button 2 is inserted into a concave portion 6 of the female snap button 4 and pressed down by two bar-like springs 7 of the female snap button 4, the male snap button 2 and the female snap button 4 are electrically connected to each other, whereby the first cloth 1 and the second cloth 3 are electrically connected to each other via the male snap button 2 and the female snap button 4.
Electrical connection of the wearable device can be made using a snap button connector of this type, and when the wearable device is removed or the garment is washed, for example, the electrical connection via the snap button connector can be disconnected by detachment of the male snap button 2 from the female snap button 4.
In the snap button connector of JP 2015-135723 A, however, since each of the male snap button 2 and the female snap button 4 functions entirely as a single electrode, connection of a plurality of wires would require as many snap button connectors as the number of the wires to be attached to a garment, leading to failure of miniaturization of a wearable device.
In addition, while the connector that electrically connects the first cloth 1 to the second cloth 3 needs to be thin, the snap button connector of JP 2015-135723 A has a configuration in which the convex portion 5 of the male snap button 2 is fitted in the concave portion 6 of the female snap button 4 in a direction orthogonal to a surface of the garment and thus is disadvantageous for reduction in thickness.
Moreover, for electrical connection between the first cloth 1 and the second cloth 3, it is required to strongly push either the male snap button 2 or the female snap button 4 down to the wearer's body from above the garment. This gives stress on the body, being inconvenient.